New businesses, like yours, which are in the growth mode and are looking to invest money in a professional business phone system having intercom, paging, music-on-hold, speed dialing, multi-line capability, voice-mail boxes, auto-attendant, customized company greetings and so on.
Your business is attracting new customers, phone lines are constantly busy, you need to add more lines from the telephone company, you need to shed off your old two-line phones for a full featured phone system.
It will be surprising to note what some small business owners think that by getting a multi-line business phone system, they will automatically get the hunting features allowing them to receive more calls. If Line 1 is busy, it will automatically go to Line 2 , Line 3 , Line 4 and so on. They do not realize that a business phone system only extends the functionality of your 2 Line or 4 Line phone. If you have a 2 Line or 4 Line phone, you also need 2 or 4 Lines from the phone company to have multi-line call hunting.
A business phone system will NOT magically give you unlimited lines with hunting capability. You will still need to order as many lines from your friendly neighborhood phone company.
What are the key features that drive you to choose an IP PBX System and not the traditional phone system?
Here are a few :
- Why, it's VOIP! Voice over internet technology.
- It's state-of-the-art technology, the latest and the greatest
- VOIP means Free Long Distance, free calling, lower bills.
- The IP PBX phone system is in expensive
- VOIP phone lines are cheap
- I can set it up myself. It connects into the same network as my computers. No additional cabling required.
- I can program the system myself with easy web interface and menu selection
- the system has unlimited expansion capability. No more expensive upgrades. Just buy new handsets/phones and hook them up.
- I can move my phone around and swap with other phones in the office easily, and make admin changes to users and mailboxes
- I can take my phone out of the office and simply connect it to any internet connection across the world and use it as if I was still in the office. Wow, I can be a remote worker. Telecommute.
That's a great feature list. No doubt.
Now lets look closely at each one of them...
Residential VOIP phone service may be cheap when you calculate the cost of all the features bundled into one low price. But when it comes to business VOIP, I beg to differ. Consider this, a good business VOIP service will cost you between $22.95 - $32.95 per month. If you need more than 3 channels for simultaneous outgoing calls ( called multi-line or hunt group in traditional telephony terms ) you may as well opt for a dedicated broadband access which will cost you around $59.95 a month ...remember this is a business account and you will pay a premium for the better grade of service and support.
Taking the lowest figures you will end up spending $128.8 for a 3 channel VOIP trunk. And this works out to minimum $43 per line. Compare this with your friendly neighborhood landline provider with the features that both offer and then make an informed decision.
And talking about features...what features do you really need for any business multiline? If you are going to invest in a business pbx system, then all you need is Caller ID display and Voicemail service. Thats all!
Don't buy VOIP just because of the hype. Remember, when you buy VOIP, you are also relying on the broadband service provider. Whereas, in case of landlines, there is a direct copper wire circuit connecting you directly and exclusively to the telephone company's switching network.
And there are deals being offered by landline providers, to match those offered by VOIP service providers.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Inner Workings of a VOIP Video Phone
A VOIP video phone utilizes the latest in communication technology using your broadband internet connection. You can stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues anywhere around the world and can even talk to them face-to-face in real time through the video display screen. But before going through the inner workings of this new technology, you must first understand some basic information about a video phone.
What is VOIP?
VOIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that is used to send digitized voice and video signals through the Internet. Using advanced communication protocols such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), H.323 or other proprietary systems, one can call or have videoconferencing with another person using the same technology from across the globe. Using the necessary hardware for your computer like a webcam, headset and VOIP software, you can communicate with audio and video signals over the internet. With a VOIP video phone, you can directly connect to the internet and make video calls.
How does VOIP transmit voice or video signals?
The webcam and microphone captures your voice and video images and converts them into digital signals. These digitized signals are then sent through the internet through your VOIP provider software. The signals are then received by the person you are calling, as long as they are using the same VOIP software at their end. However, with a video phone, you can do away with the webcam or even a PC and connect directly to the Internet and start video phoning.
What is a VOIP video phone?
A VOIP video phone is different from ordinary or standard telephones as they can connect directly to the Internet through a built-in Ethernet port. They can communicate directly through the Internet gateway to other computers or through another VOIP phone. There is no need to use a computer for video phoning and all you need is a broadband or DSL internet connection. You can bring the video phone anywhere around the world and still make video calls back to your family, friends or business associates just by connecting to the Internet.
What are VOIP video phone features?
With several players slowly emerging and taking advantage of this new technology, more and more models of video phones using the latest technologies are coming out in the market. If you are planning to ride the wave of the future and get yourself a video phone, check out the following basic features that your new phone should have:
- 7-inch Digital Color Screen with high resolution
- A video output so you can connect a larger LCD screen
- High quality video imagery
- When not in use, the phone can serve as a digital photo frame.
- Can be used with multiple languages
- Has a USB port so you can download and upload pictures, music and video
- Can receive video mails
- Can receive video greetings
- Cordless or wireless
Sooner or later, all households will have a video phone as a standard fixture in the home. Scenes that we can only see in sci-fi movies are now coming to pass. So get hold of a VOIP video phone right and be part of the future - today.
What is VOIP?
VOIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that is used to send digitized voice and video signals through the Internet. Using advanced communication protocols such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), H.323 or other proprietary systems, one can call or have videoconferencing with another person using the same technology from across the globe. Using the necessary hardware for your computer like a webcam, headset and VOIP software, you can communicate with audio and video signals over the internet. With a VOIP video phone, you can directly connect to the internet and make video calls.
How does VOIP transmit voice or video signals?
The webcam and microphone captures your voice and video images and converts them into digital signals. These digitized signals are then sent through the internet through your VOIP provider software. The signals are then received by the person you are calling, as long as they are using the same VOIP software at their end. However, with a video phone, you can do away with the webcam or even a PC and connect directly to the Internet and start video phoning.
What is a VOIP video phone?
A VOIP video phone is different from ordinary or standard telephones as they can connect directly to the Internet through a built-in Ethernet port. They can communicate directly through the Internet gateway to other computers or through another VOIP phone. There is no need to use a computer for video phoning and all you need is a broadband or DSL internet connection. You can bring the video phone anywhere around the world and still make video calls back to your family, friends or business associates just by connecting to the Internet.
What are VOIP video phone features?
With several players slowly emerging and taking advantage of this new technology, more and more models of video phones using the latest technologies are coming out in the market. If you are planning to ride the wave of the future and get yourself a video phone, check out the following basic features that your new phone should have:
- 7-inch Digital Color Screen with high resolution
- A video output so you can connect a larger LCD screen
- High quality video imagery
- When not in use, the phone can serve as a digital photo frame.
- Can be used with multiple languages
- Has a USB port so you can download and upload pictures, music and video
- Can receive video mails
- Can receive video greetings
- Cordless or wireless
Sooner or later, all households will have a video phone as a standard fixture in the home. Scenes that we can only see in sci-fi movies are now coming to pass. So get hold of a VOIP video phone right and be part of the future - today.
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